Canadian HR Reporter

January 27, 2014 EXECUTIVE SERIES CANADIAN HR REPORTER 13 Social media could eliminate key flaws An all-too-recurrent theme in much of what we despair of in organizations is how much effectiveness is undermined by simple, human gaps. We develop good policies for performance appraisal, succession planning, retention, recognition and more, and despite knowing that "once a year" isn't enough, we find everyone focusing on just that — the once-a-year, on-the-record discussion and record-keeping requirement and Dave Crisp nothing else — even though people Organizational complain bitterly about it and feel Effectiveness the process should be different. Take that problem and multiply it by every people policy that matters and you come close to understanding why so many organizations flounder along with average or worse results. Our lever for achieving success is through people and we consistently fail to do all that it takes to keep those people engaged, excited, innovating and staying with us. We con- tinually hear "There isn't time" and "I'm afraid to open up topics I can't answer." The fact is social media opens such discussions, whether you feel you have the time and ability to address them or not. Without channels that could help you manage them, these potential conversations may be highly haphazard, disjointed, misrepresentative and one-sided. Only you can make them two-sided. We're being dragged into this reluctantly, but inevitably. The fact is social media also opens those discussions, whether you pay attention or not. They will occur on other sites if you don't provide venues. Then your chore of finding out what's being said multiplies — and, take note, all this is in writing. And even if that writing may seem somewhat ephemeral and fleeting, once it's out there, it doesn't go away. Anyone searching for information about you is likely to stumble across it — unless you channel ongoing discussion into larger buckets that are more likely to turn up in current searches. Your only option to manage much of this is to respond in an orderly, ongoing way and, above all, authentically and transparently as much as possible without relying New tactical tools or strategic practice? As social networking continues to flourish, sorting through the choices, statistics and hype is proving to be a challenge for even the most skilled of leaders. Recently, we had the benefit of hearing about real-time experiences in using social media from leaders representing IBM, Grand Challenges Canada, Sun Life, Actra Fraternal Benefits Society and Ryerson University. In listening to their different journeys, I began to wonder how many leaders see social media as a tactical tool versus a strategic practice. For some, the decision has been to take a crossfunctional strategic approach, whereas others have made it a Trish Maguire Leadership In Action personal leadership mission. Regardless of the approach, core themes emerge that encourage leaders who may still have reservations about adopting social media initiatives. For example, a common starting point — beyond deciding on the fundamental purpose — is for leaders to think about what audience they wish to engage with and how. Is it employees, customers — or both? Is the approach to be more strategic and leverage social media to attract and engage people? Or perhaps they want to use it to support real business objectives. If it's the latter, what key measurements need to be put in place to evaluate and track effectiveness? Furthermore, once the results and feedback are compiled and examined, how responsive will the leadership team be to repeat, remove, revise or recreate any of the initiatives? The more I understand how social media can positively impact on stock answers and advertising to do the job. Social media tools haven't taken over in every corner of our workplaces and customer relations... yet. But it seems likely they will. So the question becomes who will we trust to respond? (And it can't be just one person, there's simply too much coming at us). How will we train them, what policies will we rely on, what level of staffing is needed to enable continual conversation, what will be in-house and what public? How much of this needs to be spelled out? Is it added to job descriptions? Are there dedicated social media reps or are the tasks distributed? What percentage of time makes sense for various levels of staff to put into this?. Will one person typically speak for a team? All these questions are arriving on our doorstep as we speak. Early adopters are trying out variations and discovering what seems to work for them. But what will they evolve into in future years? The Strategic Capability Network event was a great chance to hear a few organizations that are making parts of this work. It's a session I will listen to again via the recording to try to get a handle on what's working and what's missing. It all sounds so simple when it works, but who has the time (the perennial question in a new guise, but increasingly unavoidable)? Yet these individuals seem to have found unique answers. workplaces, the more I see an opportunity for leaders to reveal a human side to their businesses. If this is a potential and actionable proposition for your organization, and you want to use social media to build stronger engagement, a consistent mantra from social media gurus is you have to develop compelling and truthful content that is conversational and generates an emotional response. The question then is how do leaders want to appeal to peoples' emotions? Is it to inspire, to win people's hearts and loyalty — or to share business information and provide restricted access to company programs? Whatever the objective is, what content, objectives and resources will need to be determined? How important will it be for your organization to think about how you might participate in Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Google+ or Pinterest? If that is part of your strategy, how might the participation need to be different depending on the social media site? What works on Facebook doesn't necessarily work on LinkedIn, for example. Leaders who have mastered the art of listening to their audience already know where and how to actively use social media effectively and efficiently. However, as we go into 2014, I encourage every leader to take a few moments and imagine what the workplace of tomorrow could look like when social media becomes a relevant and integral part of everyone's job, irrespective of their title. Go ahead and try it – you'll like it Five speakers from five very different companies described how their organizations are using social media to meet their business needs. Each highlighted a different use: mentoring and supporting staff development, performance management, shaping the corporate culture, promoting employee engagement and streamlining and promoting a customer-oriented business model. Each identified challenges they faced and lessons learned. Stepping back from the individual cases, what did they have in common, and what are some key themes that can be applied by any organization? Like rock 'n' roll, social media is here to stay: While there are differing levels of usage intensity and levels of sophistication, social media is being adopted by almost all segments of society at a global level. Ignoring social media as a tool for communicating and tapping into the knowledge of employees and customers overlooks opportunities for more effective Karen Gorsline Strategic Capability and informed operations. Corporations ignore social media at their peril and risk the fate of the dodo bird. Nothing ventured, nothing gained: Absolutely there are challenges and risks, but the greater risk is to do nothing. Like investing, money put under the mattress, while secure, erodes in value. Avoiding risk is not a solution, just as not managing the risk is naive and reckless. Organizations need to: •do their homework and understand how social media works •identify what initial trials will be most productive •think about what standards and guidelines need to be developed at various stages •establish means to monitor activity and mitigate risk •respond to bumps in the road •establish a discipline to learn from dead-end attempts. Make it your own: Each of these organizations recognized their current states, their own unique cultures and businesses, and identified the areas where the most benefit could be obtained from using social media. They did their own research and willingly shared their own experience, but there is no denying that successfully adopting an approach to social media requires a good organizational fit. As inspiring as one organization's experience may be, or as cool as a tool or application is, effective implementation requires careful analysis of how the specific application of social media will play out in an organization's unique environment. By making the social media application its own, an organization can maximize its own brand and fit with its culture. Inspiration alone is not enough: In each of the five organizations, there was an inspiration or vision of how they could use social media to make a difference. But each organization's story illustrated investment and effort, persistence, positive response to challenges and setbacks, and co-ordinated effort to support introduction, implementation and sustained growth of their social media application. Look around. Seniors are using social media to connect with Dave Crisp is a Toronto-based writer and thought leader for Strategic Capability Network with a wealth of experience, including 14 years leading HR at Hudson Bay Co. where he took the 70,000-employee retailer to "best company to work for" status. For more information, visit www.balance-andresults.com. Trish Maguire is a commentator for SCNetwork on leadership in action and founding principal of Synergyx Solutions in Nobleton, Ont., focused on high-potential leadership development coaching. She has held senior leadership roles in HR and OD in education, manufacturing and entrepreneurial firms. She can be reached at synergyx@sympatico.ca. common interest groups and children or grandchildren who don't return calls. Consumers are using social media extensively to obtain information and services. Younger people rely on smart phones. The overwhelming message is: Try it — you'll like it. Karen Gorsline is SCNetwork's lead commentator on strategic capability and leads HR Initiatives, a consulting practice focused on facilitation and tailored HR initiatives. Torontobased, she has taught HR planning, held senior roles in strategy and policy, managed a large decentralized HR function and directed a small business. She can be reached at gorslin@ pathcom.com.

• Cover